One Day At A Time!

  Weekends call for something special. How about an effortless Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake with Peanut Butter Cups? A sweet treat ready in less than a minute. Today's pastry chef is my 7 year old. My kiddo enthusiastically prepped and microwaved this tiny double chocolate cake. I played the sous chef, providing all the ingredients.... clicking pictures. We both had fun baking together. Hope you all love my mini chef's baking venture.  Ingredients: All Purpose Flour/Maida - 2 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - 2 tbsp Light Brown Sugar or Sugar - 2 tbsp Whole Milk - 4 tbsp Oil or melted butter - 1 tbsp Green Cardamom Pods/Elaichi - 2 (seeds only) Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp Salt - 1/8 tsp Peanut Butter Cups or any other chocolate topping How to make a Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake with Peanut Butter Cups? Crush the cardamom seeds in a mortar pestle. Instead of cardamom, use any flavor of your choice - cinnamon powder, vanilla extract, almond extract and so on. In a dry microwave saf...

One of the popular posts of my blog is Microwave Ricotta Cheese Kalakand . For my kiddo, these days I make it in the oven. You might ask why? My little one loves baking with Mommy.  The new oven baked Ricotta Kalakand (Milk Cake) Recipe is even better, it has double the cheese, less sugar and tastes yummy. And, if ricotta is not available, paneer is an excellent alternative.

Hey everyone! Hope all is well.  Just when I got used to the Miami weather, we had to move. So, now we are back in Dallas. I am hoping to stay in this new place for a long long time. In all this hustle bustle of settling in a new habitat, my 3 year old demands to bake a cake all by herself. Also, it  has to be round like a birthday cake. Here I present the first ever bake from our new kitchen. A soft, moist cardamom flavored egg less apple sauce cake. Ingredients: Unbleached All Purpose Flour/Maida - 2 cups Unsweetened Apple Sauce - 2 cups Granulated Sugar - 1 cup Unsalted Butter - 1/4 cup  Vegetable Oil - 1/4 cup Baking Soda - 1 1/2 tsp Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 3 pods (seeds only) Chopped Nuts - 1 tbsp Cooking Spray How to bake an Egg-less Apple Sauce Cake: Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F. Grease a cake pan (9 * 1.5 inch round pan) with cooking spray or oil or butter.  Crush the cardamom seeds in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. Roughl...

Hey everyone! Hope you all are doing well. My apologies for disappearing for 6 months, but now I am back after some R & R.... with lots of good food and stories. One of the most loved posts on my blog is Eggless Sour Cream Vanilla Cake . Today's Tutti Fruity cake is adapted from that. I have tried to make it healthier using Whole Wheat Flour (Indian Atta). My kiddo loves it and hope you guys like it too.

First long summer weekend is here. We haven't planned anything special, but I am making some snacks for us. Some savory and some baked goodies. Gone are the days when I used to bake with all purpose flour (maida). Nowadays, I bake with Atta, the wheat flour we regularly use for making rotis and parathas.

Back home, cookies are called biscuits. At my place, these crunchy delights always used to be store bought. These days, we love the home baked goodies more than the store bought ones. You get to choose healthier ingredients, use your favorite flavors and more importantly, the satisfaction of baking for your loved ones. Call them cookies or biscuits, if your family loves it, its well worth the effort. Ingredients: Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup Light Brown Sugar - 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter - 1/2 cup (1/4 pound) Desiccated (Dry) Coconut - 1/2 cup Dry Cranberries - 1/4 cup Whole Milk - 1/4 cup Vanilla Extract - 1 1/2 tsp Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 2 pods Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp Salt - 1/4 tsp How to bake Whole Wheat Coconut and Dry Fruit Cookies: Finely chop cranberries. Crush the cardamom seeds in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. Instead of cranberries, you can use any other dry fruits of your choice - cherries, raisins, apricots, figs. In a...

When it comes to baking, I try to be precise about measuring ingredients. And follow the tips for making any cake soft and moist.  Some say any cooking oil makes a cake really moist. My personal experience says Eggless Sour Cream Cake  turns soft. Recently, I found out Silken Tofu cakes are soft too. Some day, maybe I'll try that. But sour cream and silken tofu are not the ones easily available. What works best for an egg less cake?  Homemade thick yogurt a.k.a curds with little butter and little oil. Ingredients: All Purpose Flour/Maida - 1 1/2 cups Thick Yogurt/Curd/Dahi - 1 cup Sugar - 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter - 1/4 cup Oil - 1/4 cup Vanilla Extract - 2 tsp Orange Zest/Peel - 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder - 1 tsp Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp Salt - 1/4 tsp How to bake an Egg less Yogurt Sponge Cake: In a small mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients - all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Mix well. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F. G...

Among all dry fruits, I like cranberries and cherries for baking. The bright red colored fruits are perfect for these orange and vanilla flavored shortbread cookies. Try these buttery delights with dry fruits and nuts of your choice. Ingredients: All Purpose Flour/Maida - 2 cups Confectioners Powdered Sugar - 1 cup Unsalted Butter - 1 cup (1/2 pound) Dry Cranberries - 1/2 cup Orange Zest/Peel - 1 tsp Vanilla Extract - 2 tsp How to bake Dry Fruit Shortbread Cookies: You need softened butter for these cookies. You can either wait until refrigerated butter comes to room temperature or microwave it as I did. Finely chop cranberries or any other dry fruits (raisins, cherries, dry mango) of your choice.    In a big microwave safe bowl, add butter. Microwave for about a minute so that butter softens. Add sugar, vanilla extract, orange zest and mix it well. Make sure there are no lumps.  I have used store bought Powdered Sugar, which also...

When it comes to baking, I am still a novice. But some tricks always help me. Like, using sour cream makes a cake really soft and moist. But sour cream is not available everywhere and many readers have asked for substitutes. Thick Whole Milk Yogurt works as the best alternative for sour cream. Hope you like these Banana Yogurt Oats Muffins as much as we loved them.

December is here .... the holiday season with gifts, cakes, cookies and the festive spirit. Snickerdoodles are  Cinnamon Sugar coated soft cookies, especially made during this festive season of Christmas. When it comes to baked goodies, we enjoy the eggless version more. Hope you guys like it too. Ingredients: All Purpose Flour/Maida - 1 1/2 cups Sugar - 1/2 cup Sour Cream - 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter - 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) Vanilla Extract - 2 tsp Baking Powder - 1 tsp Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp Sugar - 2 tbsp Ground Cinnamon/Dalchini Powder - 2 tsp Ground Nutmeg/Jaiphal Powder - 1/8 tsp (optional) How to bake Eggless Snickerdoodle Cookies: In a mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients - all purpose flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add about 1/4 tsp salt too, if you like. Mix and keep it aside. In a big mixing bowl, add (room temperature) softened butter, sour cream, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla extract. Mix all the ingredients well, using a whisk or a spoon. If y...

Whenever I bake a cake, I prefer a low calorie fruit cake. Today's Eggless Banana Bread is made of whole wheat flour and sour cream. Whole grain provides more fiber and sour cream has lesser calories as compared to butter. And the cake is equally moist and delicious. Ingredients: Bananas - 3 big Whole Wheat Flour/Atta - 2 cups Light Brown Sugar - 1 cup Almonds/Badam - 1/4 cup Sour Cream - 1/2 cup Milk - 1/2 cup Olive Oil - 1/4 cup Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp Baking Soda - 3/4 tsp Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon/Dalchini Powder - 1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg/Jaiphal Powder - 1/8 tsp Salt - 1/4 tsp How to bake Whole Wheat Banana Bread: In a small bowl, add the dry ingredients - whole wheat flour, roughly chopped almonds, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix well. Use any other nuts of your choice. Add some raisins/dry grapes too if you like. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan with oil or cooking spray. In a big mixin...

Soft and moist vanilla flavored egg-less cake made of sour cream and a tad bit of butter. Sour cream has lesser calories as compared to butter which makes this cake a delicious treat for calorie conscious foodies. Also, a perfect sponge cake for the holy month of Shravan.

Every time I bake a cake or muffins, I look for low calorie options. Today's fruity vanilla muffins are made of milk and not butter. Also, oats and whole wheat flour make it healthier and nutritious. Ingredients: Apples - 2 Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp Whole Wheat Flour - 1 1/4 cups Quick Oats - 1 cup Light Brown Sugar - 3/4 cup Milk - 1 cup Olive Oil - 1/4 cup Baking Soda - 3/4 tsp Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp Cinnamon/Dalchini Powder - 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract - 2 tsp Nuts - 2 tbsp How to bake Eggless Oats and Apple Muffins: In a big bowl, add about 5 cups water and lemon juice. Peel the apple skin and dice it into small pieces. Add the diced apples to the water so that the apples  don't  turn brown. In a mixing bowl, mix all the dry ingredients - whole wheat flour, quick oats, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and ground cinnamon. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F. Line a 12 muffin baking tray with cupcake liners or grease it with cooking spray. In another big mixi...

Eggless Orange Cake with whole wheat flour and sweetened condensed milk. Ingredients: Sweetened Condensed Milk - 400 gm Orange or Pineapple Juice - 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup All Purpose Flour/Maida - 1 cup Semolina/Rava - 1/4 cup Pistachios/Pista or any other dry fruits - 1/4 cup Butter - 1/4 cup Olive Oil - 1/4 cup Baking Powder - 2 tsp Baking Soda - 1 tsp Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp Salt - 1/4 tsp How to bake Egg-less Condensed Milk Cake: In a mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients - whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, semolina, roughly chopped pistachios, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well with a whisk or spoon. Microwave the butter for 30 seconds or more to melt it. In a big mixing bowl, add condensed milk,  orange juice, melted butter, olive oil and vanilla extract. Mix all the ingredients well. Now add the dry ingredients, in small amounts stirring gradually. The cake batter will turn lumpy. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F. G...

Soft and moist Banana Muffins topped with crunchy low calorie pistachios. Egg free and Butter free delicious muffins. Ingredients: Ripe Bananas - 3 large Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup All Purpose Flour/Maida - 1 cup Light Brown Sugar - 1 cup Sour Cream - 1/2 cup Whole Milk - 1/2 cup Olive Oil - 1/4 cup Baking Soda - 3/4 tsp Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon/Dalchini Powder - 1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg/Jaiphal Powder - 1/8 tsp Salt - 1/4 tsp Pistachios (roughly chopped) - about 2 tbsp How to bake Egg free and Butter free Banana Muffins: In a mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients - whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Mix well with a spoon. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F. Line the muffin pan with cupcake liners or spray the muffin pan with cooking spray.  I used a 12 muffin pan. In a big mixing bowl, add peeled bananas. Mash them well. Now add sour cream, milk and olive oil...

Eggless Coconut cookies with multi flours - whole wheat flour, chickpea flour, corn meal and all purpose flour. Ingredients: Whole Wheat Flour - 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour - 1/4 cup Chickpea Flour/Gram Flour/Besan - 1/4 cup Corn Meal or Corn Flour - 1/4 cup Walnuts/Akrot or any other nuts - 1/4 cup Dessicated (Dry) Coconut - 1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar - 1 cup Unsalted Butter - 1/4 pound Milk - about 2 tbsp (optional) Whole Almonds or Pistachios (optional) Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 2 pods Saffron/Kesar - few strands Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp How to bake Eggless Coconut Cookies: 1. Microwave butter in a microwave safe big bowl for about 2 minutes.  Let the melted butter cool slightly. 2. Crush cardamom seeds and saffron in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. 3. Grind corn meal and walnuts in a blender/mixer to a fine powder.  4. In a mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients - whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, chickpea flour, powde...

Crunchy whole wheat biscuits with pistachios and corn meal. Ingredients: Whole Wheat Flour - 2 cups Light Brown Sugar - 1 cup Whole Milk - 1/2 cup Corn Meal - 1/2 cup Roasted Salted Pistachios/Pista - 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter/Loni - 1/2 pound Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 2 pods Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp How to bake Corn Meal Pistachio Biscuits: 1. In a microwave safe big bowl, add butter.  Microwave it for about 2 minutes so that butter melts.  Alternatively, you can melt the butter in a pan on a stove top.  Let the butter cool slightly. 2. Crush cardamom seeds to a fine powder in a mortar pestle.  Roughly chop the pistachios.  3. In another bowl, add the dry ingredients - whole wheat flour, corn meal, baking powder, baking soda, chopped pistachios and cardamom powder.  Mix well. 4. Add milk and sugar to the melted butter.  Using a hand blender, mix till it becomes light and fluffy.  Now add the dry ing...

Eggless crisp cookies or biscuits made of oats, whole wheat flour and chewy dry mangoes. These cookies can be made using 'tutti fruity' as well.  But I prefer dry fruits like dry mangoes, dry grapes/raisins, dry figs, dry apricots which do not have food colour or preservatives. Ingredients: Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup Instant Oats - 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar - 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter - 1/4 pound (about 115 gms) Walnuts or any other nuts - 1/4 cup Dry Mangoes - 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 2 pods (seeds only) Method: 1. Heat the butter just enough to melt it.  Let it cool slightly. 2. Roughly chop walnuts and dry mangoes.  Use any other nuts or fruits of your choice - almonds, cashews, pistachios, pecans, dry apricots, dry grapes/raisins.  Crush the cardamom seeds to a fine powder in a mortar pestle. 3. In a mixing bowl, add melted butter and light brown sugar.  Mix well till sugar diss...

There are times when you try out some new things with lots of excitement and a little anxiety.  For me, baking cakes was one of those things. Blogging has inspired me to step out of my comfort zone and Banana Walnut Cake was my first baking venture.   Here is my tried and tested Egg-less Banana bread recipe flavored with Green Cardamom (Elaichi).

Cardamom flavoured butter biscuits with loads of almonds. Ingredients: All Purpose Flour - 2 cups Light Brown Sugar - 1 cup Unsalted Butter - 1/2 pound Chopped Almonds - 1/2 cup Whole Almonds - about 25 Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 4 pods (seeds only) Baking Soda - 1/8 tsp Baking Powder - 1/8 tsp Method: 1. Heat the butter just enough to melt it.  Let it cool.  2. Grind the cardamom seeds to a fine powder. 3. In a mixing bowl, add melted butter and brown sugar.  Mix well with a spoon to dissolve the sugar.  Add diced/chopped almonds, cardamom powder and mix well.  4. Lastly, add all purpose flour, baking soda and baking powder.  Mix all the ingredients well to form a soft dough.  Divide the dough into 20 - 25 round balls. 5. Preheat the oven at 350 deg. F for about 10 minutes.  Line a baking tray/dish with aluminium foil.  Flatten the dough balls and place a whole almond in the centre of each one.  Place them on th...